Id Software’s DOOM has been twisted and contorted to run on anything from a digital calculator to programmable keychains to obscure 90s TV format Teletext. In a mind-blowing new conversion, you can now play Doom on a lawnmower. Yep.
Revealed by robot lawnmower company Husqvarna, a new update for the small car robotic Husqvarna Automower will allow gamers to rip and tear and tend their lawn at the same time.
Coming in April, the Doom lawnmower port will be available for the Husqvarna Automower NERA product range for a limited time only. For some reason, the new port will only be playable from 9 April to 9 of September 2024.
To control the game, you’ll use the screen control dial on the NERA automowers to move around and fire your weapon. Other buttons on the robot lawnmower may also be used to switch weapons, open doors and other features.
Curiously, while the Doom lawnmower port is releasing, Husqvarna isn’t exactly singing the port’s performance. In the description for the YouTube advert, fans are pretty much told to not expect great gameplay on the device. Also, it seems that the port is limited to the first chunk of levels instead of the full game.
“DOOM game code (‘Episode 1: Knee-Deep in the Dead’) is provided ‘as is’ by Husqvarna. ZeniMax is not responsible for the performance of the game on Automower hardware,” reads the disclaimer.
Nevertheless, the fact that an official Doom port is coming to a lawnmower is simply brilliant. (Someone tell StopSkeletonsFromFighting to get on this!) As one of the most timeless games around, Doom’s legacy has quickly changed from being the daddy of the FPS genre to the subject of port experimentations everywhere. What’s next? Doom on a porsche? Oh, someone did that? A decade ago, you say?
For those without access to a Husqvarna Automower, the original Doom is playable just about everywhere nowadays, and can be picked up cheaper than chips. If you’ve yet to give the demonic FPS game a go, you really should.